Graham Dorrans reflects on dream debut for Rangers

By Matt T07 August 2017

Graham Dorrans says he fulfilled a boyhood dream as he grabbed a debut double for Rangers.

The lifelong Gers supporter made his first competitive outing for the Light Blues since sealing a £1.3million switch from Norwich as the Ibrox team started the Ladbrokes Premiership season with a 2-1 win at Motherwell.

And the 29-year-old confessed his first outing for Pedro Caixinha's men could not have gone any better for him personally.

"I was excited before the game" he said. "It was something I've always dreamed of since I was a kid.

"But I've been a professional for a long time and I know what you need to do and what it takes to go out there. So I was focused and I was fine."

Dorrans slotted Rangers ahead after four minutes but the visitors to Fir Park found themselves pegged back when Ben Heneghan headed home just before half-time.

Louis Moult's elbow barge on Fabio Cardoso, however, presented Dorrans with the chance to sweep home from the penalty spot and give Gers a winning start as they look to bounce back from last year's nightmare campaign.

Dorrans added: "It was our first competitive game together and we've got some new players.

"We were under the cosh a little bit towards the end and we saw it out well.

"But it's something we will work on and as we gel as a team and get more games and sessions together I'm sure that will come."

Well felt they should have had a first-half penalty when the ball appeared to strike Lee Hodson's hand and were left to rue their luck as Ryan Bowman and Alex Fisher both passed up late chances.

Boss Steven Robinson admitted: "If you don't take your chances you don't win football matches and we created a lot of clear-cut chances. Bowman and Fisher had two chances they would put away in their sleep.

"We dominated large parts of the game. We potentially could have had a penalty ourselves but we've lost goals from two set-plays.

"I haven't seen their penalty again. I was far away from it. Louis said it wasn't a penalty, that he went to challenge for the ball and the lad's gone down, but we should have taken care of the game ourselves - without blaming anyone else."